Can't Sleep?

Insomnia Tips, Insomnia Remedies and (just maybe) Insomnia Cures
to Help You Sleep

42 simple tips—Natural, healthy sleep help

They're all designed to help you deal with the tension, stress and
anxiety that lead to insomnia, so that you can enjoy a good night's sleep.

Not
every one of these insomnia remedies alone will get you to sleep, but
a few of them at least should prove successful. Needless to say,
there's no guarantee, and no attempt to provide medical advice, but the feedback we've received indicates they've been very helpful for many people.

With that caveat out of the way, we can only wish you good luck. And a good night's sleep.

Insomnia can be a symptom of physical disorders, although for most of
us it's the result of tension, stress and anxiety—and of
course the more anxious we get about our insomnia, the worse it gets.
If your doctor pronounces you a "healthy" insomniac, he might suggest
some of the techniques provided here. Or she might prescribe drugs to
help you get to sleep.

We suggest you try all these methods first, and use drugs only as a last resort. The decision, of course, is yours.

Take a Warm Bath

It's a great way to relax your body. Don't overdo it, however. You
merely want to relax your body, not exhaust it. Too long in hot water
and your body is drained of vitality.

Use
bath salts, or throw in Epsom salts and baking soda—one cup
of each. These will relax you and also help remove toxins from your
body.

Get a Massage

Have your spouse (or whoever) give you a massage just before going to
sleep. If you can convince them to give you a full body massage, great.
If not, even a short backrub and/or a face and scalp massage can be a
big help. Have them make the massage strokes slow, gentle, yet firm, to
work the tension out of your muscles and soothe you to sleep.

Listen to Music or Other Audio

Play some soft, soothing music that will lull you to sleep. There are
many CDs designed for that very purpose. Some are specially composed
music, others simply have sounds of waves rhythmically breaking, or the
steady pattern of a heartbeat. Some will lead you to sleep with a
combination of music, voice and other soothing sounds.

A glass of warm milk 15 minutes
before going to bed will soothe your nervous system. Milk contains
calcium, which works directly on jagged nerves to make them (and you)
relax.

Drink Herb Tea

If you don't like milk—or are avoiding dairy
products—try a cup of hot camomile, catnip, anise or fennel
tea. All contain natural ingredients which will help you sleep. Most
health food stores will also have special blends of herb tea designed
to soothe you and help you get to sleep.

I'm
sorry, but I can't answer any questions about sleep disorders,
give any advice, or provide any medical, scientific, statistical or
anecdotal evidence and studies. What you see on this page is all I've
got.

It's not that I wouldn't like to help, but the fact is that I'm not a
physician or sleep
researcher. I've simply collected some folk remedies and methods and
provided them here for your convenience. Over the many years they've
been available on the Web, they've helped many others. I hope they help
you, too.

If you have some insomnia techniques of your own, please pass them on and we'll post them here. You can email them to